Where Did the Late Empire End? Hacksilber and Coins in Continental and Northern Barbaricum C AD 340-500
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280245499 Where did the late empire end? Hacksilber and coins in continental and northern Barbaricum c AD 340-500 Chapter · January 2013 CITATIONS READS 7 155 1 author: Andreas Rau Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie 29 PUBLICATIONS 25 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Hacksilber project View project Beyond the grave View project All content following this page was uploaded by Andreas Rau on 22 July 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. WHERE DID THE LATE EMPIRE END? CHAPTER 21 Where did the late empire end? Hacksilber and coins in continental and northern Barbaricum c ad 340–500 ANDREAS RAU Objects of Roman origin found in non-Roman regions and the barbarian groups in the middle and contexts have always been interpreted as possible lower Danube regions. These cultural groups deserve indications for the intensity and extension of contacts to be dealt with separately and it will later become between native societies and the Roman empire. For the clear that we lack evidence for Hacksilber hoards fourth and fifth century in the Germanic Barbaricum including Roman silver plate in these regions. this perspective, based solely on material culture and its interpretations, has to compare the distribution of Hacksilber in context – the Nydam case several types of probably non-native goods in order to reveal congruencies and discrepancies. Metal objects Hacksilber in a rather atypical context came to light are very prominent in this respect, including late during excavations in the 1990s in Nydam bog, Roman silver plate – complete or hacked into pieces. southern Jutland, Denmark.2 The Nydam bog, a But, before a discussion and comparison of some of votive site with several large-scale offerings of spoils- these groups in detail, a few remarks on terminology of-war from the third to the fifth centuryad , is and chronology might be a good starting-point. The known for the well-preserved Nydam oared ship of period examined runs more or less from the reign fourth-century date.3 This find spot is situated in an of Constantius II (337–61) to the early Merovingian area usually considered the border zone of the West- phase in the western empire, some time between and Elbe-Germanic areas and the Scandinavian the death of Flavius Aëtius in 454 and the death of cultural sphere.4 The area can be ascribed to a distinct Childeric in 482. cultural group which has been ethnically connected It should be noted, however, that the use of scrap with the historical name of the Angles (Anglii).5 silver is certainly not a phenomenon of Late Antiquity In 1990 a closed find of about 900 objects, called in the Germanic Barbaricum. Finds of hacked silver the Nydam IV deposit, from some time around vessels occur in earlier contexts during the Roman 470/480 was excavated. Besides an enormous amount Iron Age.1 The restriction of this paper to the Late of weaponry and personal belongings, it included at Antique periods is justified by the fact that the great least twenty-three pieces of hacked silver weighing hoard assemblages of Roman silver plate fragments only about 63g in total (illus 21.1). and silverwork of local origin are indeed of fourth- to The objects were discovered tightly packed on one sixth-century date. spot, which leads to the assumption that they were The terms continental and northern Barbaricum contained in a now-dissolved small pouch or purse, of course apply to the entire barbarian territory east probably of leather or textiles. of the Rhine and north of the Danube. This paper By the look of the actual items, the Nydam IV focuses on southern Scandinavia and on the lowland Hacksilber is probably one of the most unpretentious areas ranging from the Netherlands across northern Hacksilber finds ever made. But, if we consider the Germany and Poland; just one part, but still a large situation of the find and the interpretation of its one, of the entire continental Barbaricum. Southern depositional context, it is actually very interesting. parts of Germany, especially the regions of the Main If we give credence to the interpretation of the large valley and the so-called Alamannic area with their southern Scandinavian wetland sacrifices as offerings find-rich hilltop settlements have been purposely of war-booty, then this hoard is particularly close to excluded as well as the Bavarian and Bohemian the actual Lebenswelt. Accordingly, the Hacksilber 339 LATE ROMAN SILVER Illustration 21.1 A small collection of Hacksilber found as part of a war-booty deposit of fifth-century date in Nydam, southern Jutland, Denmark. The second left loaf-shaped ingot in the upper row has a length of 36mm. Scale is 1:1 (photography by the author) 340 WHERE DID THE LATE EMPIRE END? in Nydam IV must be regarded as valuables ready serious doubts be attributed to the group of Hacksilber for exchange, which were carried around by one finds.10 individual while being engaged in martial activities, The most eastern find from Hammersdorf, former an assumption supported by the tiny portions and East Prussia, today Młoteczno, Poland (illus 21.2), has dimensions of the silver items. The final deposition of often been depicted and dealt with together with gold the material was as a result of looting done against the jewellery from the fourth and fifth century; but the will of the former owner, which seemingly separates it different descriptions of the find-circumstances reveal from all the other Hacksilber hoards. that the eight pieces of two silver plates were found This small collection with its various elements in 1873 up to 1.5km away from the sites on which contains almost all groups of silver objects which the gold objects were discovered during 1913–17.11 we encounter in the much larger Danish Hacksilber hoards: hacked Roman silver plate, fragments of locally produced jewellery, silver ingots, and rods and wires. Roman silver coins, however, are not represented. The Nydam IV collection clearly forms strong evidence for the use of Hacksilber, clipped into tiniest portions, as weight currency (Karl Polanyi’s special-purpose money), in the same sense as has been suggested for Roman denarii in third- and fourth-century finds in the Germanic Barbaricum.6 The occurrence of isolated single finds of Roman silverware fragments and other parts of Hacksilber in the Migration-period cultural layers of metal-rich settlements in south Scandinavia corroborates this picture.7 Continental Hacksilber finds with Roman silver plate – a short survey Before discussing the increased material from southern Scandinavia, we need to take a look at central European Barbaricum. In contrast to the Danish situation, not very much has changed in the distribution pattern since the Hacksilber was dealt with by Wilhelm Grünhagen in 1954, and this is also mirrored in the distribution maps that were published by Martin Guggisberg in 2003.8 Some of the older finds lack substantial descriptions of their find-circumstances and are entirely or partially lost. The Winsum hoard, discovered in 1861 in the Dutch province of Friesland, was found without any reliable find description and was – with the exception of a few fragments – immediately melted by the finders. The surviving information and fragments, however, show that the hoard consisted of different types of Roman silverware weighing more than 3kg.9 The hoard from Hohendorf, Mecklenburg- Vorpommern, Germany, which came to light during peat cutting in 1829, is completely lost and very Illustration 21.2 unsecure in its composition (including denarii and Roman silver vessel fragments from Hammersdorf/Młoteczno, a golden finger ring!) and date. It cannot without Poland. (From Hirschfeld 1886) 341 LATE ROMAN SILVER Illustration 21.3 The Großbodungen find. (From Von Freeden & Schnurbein 2002) 342 WHERE DID THE LATE EMPIRE END? Rather than constructing or guessing on most unlikely not reflect one particular event at which valuables find circumstances and modern disturbances of one that were currently available, perhaps resulting from single gold-and-silver-treasure, we should regard the plunder or from one single payment at a specific occurrence of precious metals in different hoards or time inside the empire, were compiled and hidden as single finds at Młoteczno/Hammersdorf as hints (Table 1). Instead, the Großbodungen hoard must be of a central place, as known from south Scandinavian seen as the final result of a long-term hoarding process, areas.12 and seems to contain a dynastic family treasure which Consequently, the Großbodungen find from was at the earliest buried around 410, but which was Thuringia is still the most interesting collection of already being assembled around 350 or shortly after. the continental Hacksilber group in the Germanic It can only be speculated whether the silver vessels Barbaricum. It contains fragments of at least four from Großbodungen came as complete donativa to vessels and twenty-one solidi, of which the latest were the barbarian recipient and were later segmented, for minted by Constantine III (407–11; illus 21.3).13 The example in the course of a division of the inherited excavations that were conducted after the discovery of wealth, or if the cut-up fragments were treated as mere the hoard did not reveal any traces of cultural layers, bullion from the start.19 pits or other loose finds which might have indicated a settlement site in which the treasure was deposited. The south Scandinavian Hacksilber hoards The hoard has recently been discussed as a wetland with Roman silver plate – some observations deposit,14 which, however, is not supported by the archaeological investigations.